Sources

In general terms Degrowth is grounded in a variety of areas. Following Fabrice Flipo, we refer to them as the sources of degrowth. Within anthropology, concerns have been raised regarding the commodification of human relations, cultural uniformization and criticism to development, both as imaginary and socio-historical realities. Another concern relates to the meaning of life with the idea that non-material exchange and poetry of life are important. Degrowth also calls for a deepening (more direct and participative) and a widening of democracy. Ecology is an obvious source, which is linked to the direct destruction of ecosystems. Moreover, in the line of Georgescu-Roegen and ecological economics, another concern regards the fact that degrowth is inevitable (i.e. from peak oil to peak everything). Finally, Justice is a major concern for degrowth in its social and economic dimensions.

The review presented is not exhaustive. Other sources of inspiration could be mentioned such as (eco)feminism, political ecology and non violence. The point however, is to show the diversity of arguments that people deploy to argue in favour of degrowth, depending often on their socio-historical context and previous political experience. The diversity shows degrowth is far from an ideology.